


Two Sons

by Merfilly



Category: DCU - Comicverse, DCU Animated
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future, Mirror Universe, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-05-31
Updated: 2007-05-31
Packaged: 2017-11-14 09:30:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/513788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merfilly/pseuds/Merfilly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>DuncanVerse meets SladeVerse, or both of Dinah's sons by Slade get to meet.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Two Sons

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Wonderland Wakeups](https://archiveofourown.org/works/514074) by [Merfilly](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merfilly/pseuds/Merfilly). 
  * Inspired by [Consequences and Truth](https://archiveofourown.org/works/261597) by [ilyena_sylph](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ilyena_sylph/pseuds/ilyena_sylph), [Merfilly](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merfilly/pseuds/Merfilly). 



> DuncanVerse is one outcome of the OTPoW universes we have written, while SladeVerse was my original alternate AU to play with the idea of Dinah and Slade as a pairing. DV is comic based, while SV is toon based.

Duncan wasn't sure what had hit, whether it was science or magic, but he knew, without the shadow of a doubt, he was not at the Tower, his team was not with him, and there were very real, very dangerous threats nearby in the form of three teens roughly his age. One looked almost like Dart had when she had been his age, one was a dark skinned girl in the Marvel costume, and the third...

The third pricked at his nerves the worst, with the feeling that Rose or his father gave him. The boy was in blue and grey, his eyes hidden behind a blue mask with whiteout lenses. He noted the jet black hair, save one white streak arching up from over his right eye.

He dropped back into a cat stance, thankful for his own lenses, and kept his hands away from the blades and his staff. "I don't think I belong here..." Admitting he was in their territory was probably a decent first step, because this was going to be one hell of a fight otherwise.

"You'd be right." The one that reminded him of Dart...almost sounded like her, but the accent was different, spoke up. "Name the lead hero of your world," she continued, while the other girl and boy just watched him. The girl seemed to be focusing into him, whereas that boy...the relaxed easy stance was a facade. Duncan could feel he was the one to be worried about, if it came to blows.

Duncan snorted softly. "Wonder Woman's chairing the League currently, Batman is still maneuvering everything, and Nightwing is normally field Lead."

He had never forgiven the Bat for the insult to his mother--or, for that matter, his father.

"Hmm." Now the boy did speak, and move, with an easy grace that came to people reacting at speeds not quite human. "Stand down, Dart, Visionary. This one's from the flip side." He looked at his two partners, to see them nod. "I'm Crier," he said, moving forward enough to shake hands. "You're from one of the worlds we called flip side. Because here...Power Woman was dealt with well before I was born, and Owlman was eliminated as a threat the year I was born. Alexi Luthor still keeps a hand in CHAMP, but Teth Adam has taken up the reins lately."

"Should call her. She's from a flip side." Dart did not take her eyes off the newcomer.

Duncan eased down when the other did, and tipped his head slightly, listening to this stranger's oddly familiar voice--and there was no doubt in his mind that that was Lian, but not-his Lian, obviously. He had no idea who the third was, though. He extended a hand to shake, carefully keeping himself to human-normal speed and strength. "Black Condor."

//Visionary, Visionary...// The off names slid through his mind. "This's a CSA reality? Can't be, none of those we've ever heard of have heroes left to help, not after Ultraman..."

"Alexi long ago dealt with Ultraman. He's had his hands full with Ultraboy from time to time…" The other boy kept the handshake to a brief minimum. "Right now the lead villain is Captain Power."

Visionary made a disgruntled noise at that. "For now," she said firmly.

"Which is why Teth leads. He's expert." Crier fell back to the two women, beckoning Black Condor to follow. "Dart's right. The best person for dealing with you, right now, is Black Canary."

Duncan's eyes went wide behind the mask, but he kept his face and body clear of expression as he followed. "So how'd one of the heroes on my side" //my MOM!// "wind up still a hero in a backwards 'verse like this one?"

"She came from the flip side. Exchanged places with Black Kestrel." Crier acted like it was nothing important.

"Well, d'uh, she stayed," Dart said. "She fell head over tail." That got a giggle from Visionary.

"Come on, Black Condor. It's not far to the palace, and we can call her from there," the dark girl told the newcomer, taking a more open, friendly stance. When she did, it made Dart relax fully; apparently the Marvel girl was their touchstone, like Tommy.

He nodded, "You can shorten it to Condor, I don't mind," and followed, trusting his senses to warn him as he let not-his-Lian fall behind him.

"Probably will. It's Canary's habit to not use the 'Black' very much. One more thing to separate her from the woman she replaced." Visionary pointed to the distant wall ahead. "The palace. The city is the other side of it."

Crier studied the boy...young man…a bit more closely as his partner engaged him by telling him what was ahead. There had been something familiar, in the lines of the body and the voice. The lines of the costume could explain the faint itch on his nerves. It reminded him sharply of Raptor's last known costume.

"...Khandaq, duh... Gods, I must have gotten my brain scrambled in the shift." //Which makes her their version of a Marvel, probably Teth's kid... Black Adam with a kid--Black Adam in general, oh, Boy...//

"It's our headquarters," Visionary said. "Home." A rumble from Dart could have been agreement…or warning to not be so friendly.

"A neutral place from most of the world problems," Crier said.

"…Weird that that's so similar... Khandaq's neutral territory back home, too, but probably for completely different reasons."

"It's neutral here, because Searchers is based here," Crier volunteered, watching this other boy carefully, without focusing completely on him. "Very few people want to pull that organization down on them, from either side of the fence."

He actually did manage not to miss a step, though it was a close thing. //Searchers?! Addie's company? What the frack?// "Searchers... I'm just going t' assume it's got nothing to do with the version that used to exist back where I come from."

"Depends," Dart said from behind. "If your version had anything to do with your world's Deathstroke, I'm going to say no, based off the stories we heard about him from the Canary."

"Had more to do with his first wife, from the stories I get from the senior Titans," Duncan managed to reply easily. //...Nah... no way...//

"First wife?" Dart asked it, knowing good and well it was plaguing her lead's mind. "We only knew for certain he had two sons and a daughter, in the flip side we know about."

"Grant, Jericho, and Ravager, yeah. Adeline would be the ex-wife." //And me, but you don't need to know that.//

"Ravager?" Visionary frowned. "Cry, I can't see it."

"Me either." Crier sounded amused now. "His daughter here is Lady Deathstroke. She still leads Searchers. Leaves him free for other things. Adeline Kane…first wife here as well. Divorced and then murdered."

// "Lady Deathstroke"? Sis, did you lose your mind? What was Dad thinking?// "Huh. That's the same, then... again, I bet not the same reasons. Waay before my time, though."

"Ours too." The way Visionary said it left little doubt these three teens were close in not just age.

They were coming up on a guard post, with two Kahndaq nationals…and an older man wearing a uniform similar to the armor his father had worn for years, in distinctive blue and orange. Crier said something in the native language, and they were waved on, into the back courtyard of the palace.

//Weird Weird Weird...// Duncan kept moving with them, keeping his body language open and friendly, stretching his senses to the limit to figure out where the rest of the guard posts and buried defenses were.

What he could feel told him this country was, if anything, as prepared for war at any given time as the one in his world, though with the vague complacence of a land that had not seen violence in quite some time.

"Dart…"

"On it." As the girl broke off, taking a side path, Crier stepped back to the rear position.

"She's going to go get the Canary," he explained. "No need to involve communications that way."

"Paranoia is still your shadow," Visionary teased him.

"It's not paranoia if they're out to get you," Duncan shot back automatically.

The boy looked forward as the girl looked back, and then he chuckled. "Too true…and my usual line," he said. "How do you know so much about Deathstroke?"

Condor shrugged and went for the easy answer first, "I'm a Titan. We keep track of where our problems are, and Deathstroke's been a Titans thorn since Robin and Speedy were kids."

That seemed to satisfy the other boy for now, as Visionary opened a door that was not there (true illusionist, or holograph tech, Duncan could not tell), and they slipped into a narrow passage. It did not take them long to reach a very nice suite, complete with a sitting room.

"The staff's been cleaning," the girl said, her eyes taking in the suite.

"Your dad would send them to be wait staff in the kitchen otherwise." Crier sat down in one chair as if he owned the place, while Visionary wandered the sitting room.

Duncan moved to where he could watch the door and stayed on his feet, relaxing in pretty much at-ease, and waiting. "Now there's a difference. Far as I know, Adam doesn't have any children on my side."

"Probably a ton of differences," Crier said. "Don't really think you're from the flip side we get most often, but the Canary will know."

"Water? Or something else, Condor?" Visionary asked, hand hovering over a communication panel.

"If you wouldn't mind, I'd appreciate it after that jog. I'm not used to this hot and this dry," he admitted.

"Cry, your usual?"

"Yes, Vis." The leader of the trio maintained his completely nonchalant, at peace body language…yet Duncan could still feel him clearly. Visionary was barely registering, but Crier was dangerous. The girl called out for water and lemons, with plenty of ice, a wry smile touching her lips when she looked at Crier on that stipulation.

When Duncan found himself trying to use the tricks he used to make his senses ignore his sister when she was upset, he knew he had trouble. He watched Visionary curiously, doing his best to appear uninterested, because he knew good and well how he would have reacted to somebody staring at Mercury.

The water and lemons were brought, and Crier moved to take it first, waving Visionary to go sit. He offered Condor first choice of the glasses, then poured from a common pitcher. He squeezed a lemon wedge into the one he gave Visionary, before taking his.

"They just entered the palace," Visionary said, eyes looking through the glass she held. She gave herself a little shake. "The wards I left here are stronger than the ones at the house, Cry."

"You feel safer there, Vis." The boy had relaxed enough to display the fact Visionary very much was his.

Duncan smiled wryly at Crier as he chose a glass randomly, grateful for the courtesy, and took a slow sip, running it though his senses carefully, then added a slice of lemon to his own. "Thank you both."

"My father has expectations of me," Visionary demurred.

"Whereas I'd just have to take on the two best fighters in the world, if I forgot my manners," Crier said with a grin. "One at a time, to make the lesson last."

Duncan winced. "Yeah, I've had a few of those lessons on my side..."

"Hmm." Crier looked unrepentant for the ones he had gone through, before he sprang up to get the door on the very first tap. It swung open, letting Dart and a quite young Black Canary in.

The woman gave the newcomer a cool appraisal, her black and grey costume a close variant of one Duncan had seen often enough. She flicked her eyes over his costume before moving into the room fully…and he noted she walked so much like his father it was uncanny.

"Black Condor, meet Black Canary," Visionary said, voice moving with familiar pride over the heroine's name.

Duncan nodded to her, moving in the very normal fashion he'd practiced into the ground at his mother's insistence. "Canary," he smiled as he extended a hand.

"Condor." She gave him a warm smile. "Dart says you're a flip side arrival, but I don't quite recognize name or costume. It looks vaguely like one worn by a man I knew, though." She shrugged. "It's been…seventeen years since I came here, and about nine since I was last there."

"Well, our Canary's never left, so we can't be from the same world. And if you think it looks like Nightwing's, you'd be right, he was my primary teacher... since about the time I could walk."

She gave him another shrewd look, before nodding. "Carry yourself like I'd imagine a student of his. But that control you're holding is far beyond any bat I've ever dealt with." She took a seat then, and accepted another glass of water, poured by Dart, while she studied him. "Getting you home…I'll have to get Circe and Alexi to look into it. Until then, I think it might be best if you accept my hospitality."

All three young people looked sharply at her, even Crier. "Canary?" Dart pressed.

"You might be right about that," Duncan had to agree. "But please get someone on getting me home quick, before Mercury and Hermes do something stupid and my girl comes back out of the speed force way too old?"

"We'll contact them as soon as we're home." Canary turned to Visionary. "Am, be a dear?"

The girl in Marvel clothing looked from the woman to the newcomer, decided Canary had to have reason for shifting from code name, and nodded. She was able to open a small door into the grounds of Wilson Manor. Dart preceded them through it, and, at a look from Canary, so did Crier. Canary gestured for Condor to go next, leaving Visionary to seal the door once they were through.

Duncan walked through warily, still on edge from the far-too-young Canary that smelled like his mother but felt like his father, and he stretched his senses again, feeling for danger.

As he stretched he felt the strong presence of another person very like his father, and a fainter but still deadly threat in the house ahead of them. This Canary radiated that easy wariness that was his father at rest, and moved with the full awareness of hypersenses, much as Crier did.

"Now that we're not in the palace, I think it is time for just a tiny bit of trust, Condor." Canary paused their walk. "Otherwise, this stay could be very difficult." She looked at the boy, flicking hand sign for the other three teens to move on. "This is my home, the home of my family. You are welcome to stay here until we get you home, and free to explore as you wish, though I do recommend taking one of the trio with you." She held her hand out to wave at the house. "My husband, in your world, might be any number of things. Here, he is accorded high respect in the hero community, and feared by the rogues."

"You move like him... so if you took the serum, you already know who I am... or at least half?"

"I think your words tell me all." She gave him a smile. "Another difference, in the world you are from, and the one I was born in. I…respect the Slade Wilson there, but do not think I ever could have come to ally closely with him. As for the serum…it was given to save my life, and the lives threatened by a plague given to me by Lady Owl…Batgirl's alter ego."

"Things... weren't easy for my mother and father--and no offense, but you're way, way too young to be my mom."

She laughed. "Funny. Because you look to be the exact age of my son."

"I noticed that... it's strange. Wait... Batgirl's alter-ego, or Oracle's?"

"Oracle?" she asked in turn. "The redhead that runs…maybe ran, by now, with Bru…Batman."

"Not the Batgirl or Batwoman I know, then, but the original. Oracle."

"I could probably talk for hours, to compare what I remember, to what your world is like, but right now...I know good and damn well your parents are turning every rock they can, and likely making people nervous, unless I miss my guess." She led him into the house, and to an office on the ground floor. The other two presences, other than the teens, were on this floor, toward the direction of the smell of food.

"Mom and Dad are probably scaring people, yeah. Let alone what my team's gotta be doing..." //That doesn't feel quite like Dad--of course it wouldn't. Who's the other, it's not Rose, not unless she's way, way different...//

"Lance!" Within a few moments, the boy appeared, his face freshly scrubbed, where the mask had adhered before.

"Yes ma'am?" he asked, following her ease of revealing identities.

"Make sure Wintergreen knows we have a guest, indefinitely, tell your father I will be busy talking to Circe awhile, and maybe Alexi, and take…what is your name, Condor? We don't usually go masked, en famille."

"Duncan La--Wilson." He flicked a bottle of solvent out of one glove to spray across his face, peeling the mask away. "Hi Lance."

"So Amoree was right," Lance said, giving him a good-natured smile.

"Take Duncan to settle him in one of the rooms on your floor. You three are assigned to making sure Duncan stays safe until we get him home to his parents, and his team." Canary flicked out the assignment like she was giving a mission brief, and Lance's body language was militant while she spoke.

"Yes ma'am. Permission to dump the current exercises over to sis for reassignment?"

"Of course, Lance." She sat at her desk to do business, and Lance turned on heel, waiting for Duncan to join him.

//Really not much like my mom,// Duncan thought with a long, wary look towards her, then moved to tuck the mask away and follow Lance. "Finding a cross-dimensional twin is so not something I ever expected... and 'Amoree was right'?"

"She has a bond to me…and she 'felt' at me that you and I were two sides of a coin." Lance shrugged. "Her reading of you got you as far as the palace. Mom, however, is a law unto herself, and only Dad or Teth willingly argue with a decision she makes." He led them to the kitchen, to where this world's Slade was discussing a contract with a man Duncan only knew from pictures and stories. "Dad, mom's tied up on the phone, and Wintergreen…we've got a guest for the duration."

"...So weird," Duncan said softly, and obviously about that last, then stopped to study both men that had his senses warning him so strongly. //So... this is Wintergreen. Are you much like my father's Wintergreen, I wonder?//

"Welcome, young…" Wintergreen said, his voice reproving Lance.

"Oh, sorry, Wintergreen…this is Duncan."

"Young Duncan." The Brit gave him a nod. "If you need anything, let Lance or myself know, and we'll make sure you get it."

Slade stood there, quietly appraising the boy that favored his own son in certain ways. In truth, Duncan carried the stamp of his father even more strongly than Lance did.

"Thank you, Wintergreen," Duncan nodded back. "I'm all right for the moment, I think, though." He watched this version of his father across the room, seeing differences that puzzled him, even as they clicked against things that made sense for a world where the heroes were the villains. Among them, though, was a kindness that was as far removed from his father as night was from day. It looked as though none of the steel was lacking, though.

"Jade called earlier in the day, Lance," Slade rumbled. "She informed me you did well on the training course, and that she will be revising it based on the critique the three of you did." He then nodded to the new boy, having wrestled down the emotions that came with placing the costume as following that of Raptor's in pattern. "My wife will see you home to your world as quickly as is possible."

Lance had almost groaned at the thought of the course being redesigned, but realized as long as Duncan was here, his team would not have to face it.

That name, though, sent a shockwave through Duncan's body of hatred and fear, adrenaline spiking through him and his eyes hardening to chips of blue jet before he could throttle the reaction down.

Slade merely raised one eyebrow at him, not wanting to call attention to it overtly. "Just because we have a guest does not mean you miss training completely. I will let your sister and sister in law have a vacation from that responsibility…but I will be training you here instead. And your two partners."

"Yes, father." Lance could almost wish for the training course; if Mom wasn’t too busy, it would wind up a tag team effort, and one never knew when Wintergreen would throw in a trap or two.

//Hero, hero, hero,// Duncan repeated to himself before he reacted any worse, then the thought of what that must mean for the man--no, men--he had looked up to all his life slashed through him and he held very, very still, taking light, careful breaths... then forced himself to say fairly casually, "Ought to be interesting to see what you come up with as training exercises...?"

"You're more than welcome to join them, Kid." The voice held promise of grueling sessions, if Duncan was up to the challenge.

"Might throw them off, but I think we could adapt... Lance?" Anything, absolutely anything, to keep from thinking about the realization he'd just had.

"I'd like to see what is alike, what is different," Lance said. "And if we can't adapt to new people, we'll be dog food on real missions, once Rose thinks we're old enough to go."

"Yeah, that's true," Duncan agreed with Lance's words. "I had to get used to running with the senior Titans."

"Come on…it's too late to get a good spar in now, or Wintergreen will skin us alive for being late to dinner," Lance said, earning a scoffing sound from the Brit.

"Both girls will be here tonight?" Slade clarified.

"Where else, Dad? Teth's in the States, and Lian really doesn't like the feng shui of the new house," Lance said with a smirk.

"Is that what keeps them in the manor?" Wintergreen asked drily, making Slade smile slyly.

Duncan couldn't help a grin at the tone of Lance's voice, and was guessing that the girls were as bad as his sister was becoming for sticking around her father. "So where're we headed?"

"My floor. Well, actually, mine and Lian's, since she did not want to move out when Sis and Jade did." The other boy took in a deep breath. "I've got a dozen questions…are you going to be okay with me asking? I know Li and Am are going to be curious as hell."

"Anything I don't want to tell you, I won't, but I don't mind you asking--gods know I'm curious too."

The boys came up onto a floor in the manor that had a few doors off of it. Lance pointed to one, calling it the den, to another and saying it was the office. A third door on the side of the hall with fewer doors was labeled the 'small gym', before he pointed out the rooms of his partners. He shoved a door open just past the one he marked as his own, and nodded.

"You can have this room for the time you're here. My clothes should fit you…" That thought struck Lance as very funny. "…so you're welcome to them."

Duncan couldn't help a chuckle, "Yeah, seems like they should, and thanks. Should probably get out of the costume before dinner, huh?"

"Probably. You can use the shower at the end of the hall…the girls use the other one." Lance shrugged. "No doubt that's where they are now, as I didn't hear them in the den or gym."

"Good thing to know, thanks," was Duncan's reply. Walking in on this other-self's girl, or Lian, probably wouldn't be smart--and wasn't anything he was interested in.

`~`~`~`~`

"He's a very guarded boy," Dinah murmured, resting against her husband's body.

"Lance was equally guarded when I first met him," Slade said softly, hand moving over her long hair slowly. She sighed, always at peace when his voice was rumbling under her ear.

"She must have had him hidden too."

"A world where I am less altruistically inclined? I would not be surprised." The man smiled gently down at her. "How long will he be with us?"

"Circe is locating the components, said it should be in the next two days or so." Dinah shifted, propping up to look at her husband of the past decade. "You're going to train him tomorrow?"

"Of course."

That got her to laughing softly, which prompted kissing to quiet her…and more.

`~`~`~`~`

Duncan was damn near exhausted…maybe he should have waited on the going home until after he rested a little, but Circe had been ready.

One thing for certain: that other Slade Wilson might seem kinder, but he was as merciless as his own father at sparring and training…and nearly as unpredictable. His one regret was that he had not gotten to spar their Dinah…from watching Lance when he could, he had a feeling that might have been for the best.

Now he was home…and his team knew it, he realized, as they came to him under speed.

He braced for the impact, one arm coming up to wrap tight around Mercury, holding her hard against his body. "'Ry," he whispered into her hair.

"About time," she huffed in his ear, before the rest caught up, and reassured themselves.

"So, where'd you pop to?" Hermes asked, seeing he was whole and uninjured.

"...Apparently? Another reality. Almost a CSA world, except, they still had some heroes."

"Freaky," Tommy piped up, before they were clamoring for details. In the middle of it, Star said the family had been called…and things felt normal at last to Duncan.


End file.
